A former U.S. Army Ranger was fatally struck by a car in Indiana Saturday after he pulled over to help a driver stranded in snow hours after his wedding.
The Chicago Sun Times reports 49-year-old William Knight was driving with his bride Nikki to a hotel when he spotted a vehicle in a ditch in Crown Point.
Nikki Knight told the paper Sunday her husband told her “we've got to stop, it's late and they need help.”
The couple pulled over in a driveway and William Knight walked out onto the street to investigate. Nikki Knight stayed inside the car.
Knight said she then heard a thud, and went outside to investigate. William Knight and the driver of the other car, 42-year-old Linda Darlington, also of Crown Point, did not have pulses.
The Chicago Sun Times reports authorities say it appears Knight and Darlington were first struck by one car and then hit two more times by two vehicles behind the first.
Knight and Darlington were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Lake County Coroner’s office, and autopsies showed both died from blunt-force trauma.
His widow says Knight served as a U.S. Army Ranger for about 12 years -- including tours of duty in Operation Desert Storm -- and would always put himself on the line to help others.
"I went from a being a newlywed to a widow in less than 48 hours—the highest high to the lowest low," Nikki Knight said. "It's a blur."
Police said all drivers involved in the crash remained at the scene. No charges had been filed as of Sunday afternoon and none of the drivers tested positive for alcohol.
Knight is survived by his two daughters, a stepdaughter and a stepson, the Chicago Sun Times reports.
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